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More than 3.5-million apply for temporary Covid-19 relief grant in three days

The temporary grant was introduced as part of the government's economic and social support package

14 May 2020 - 21:34 Genevieve Quintal

Pretoria residents queue to apply for child support grants in the SA Social Security Agency head office during the Covid19- lockdown. Picture: FREDDY MAVUNDA

More than 3.5-million people have applied for the new temporary grant meant to provide some relief for those who are unemployed and not receiving any form of financial assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic since it was opened on Monday.

The temporary grant of R350 a month was introduced as part of the government's economic and social support package.

“The special Covid-19 social relief of distress grant is intended to mitigate the undue hardships faced by individuals and families through this difficult time. We are pleased with the intake so far and we urge all eligible individuals to apply on time,” social development minister Lindiwe Zulu said.

Zulu said those already receiving social grants were not to eligible for the grant. “It is only meant to benefit people who are currently not receiving any form of income support from government,” she said.

Application for the temporary grant is done electronically, either through a Whatsapp line, SMS line, the website or e-mail.

The department said the applications were now being assessed and verified. Those eligible will be notified and will start to receive their first payment by Friday.

Applicants were being checked against all government databases to ensure that they were not receiving some sort of financial relief through a social grant, the UIF or National Student Financial Aid Scheme, among others.